Arab Women Sports Tournament announces new organisational structure

SHARJAH, 30th January, 2019 (WAM) -- Preparations for the 5th edition of the Arab Women Sports Tournament (AWST) – scheduled for the first quarter of 2020, were officially launched Tuesday with a round of preliminary meetings at the Sharjah Women Sports Foundation (SWSF) headquarters in Sharjah.

Attended by several heads and members of the tournament’s organising committees, the meeting has explored initial requirements and put into place preparatory plans of the upcoming edition.

Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of AWST's Supreme Organising Committee; Nada Askar Al Naqbi, Deputy Head of AWST’s Supreme Organising Committee, Head of AWST’s Executive Committee and Director General of Sharjah Women Sports Foundation (SWSF), were among the important attendees, who joined organising committee members to affirm AWST’s new organisational structure, and discuss other key topics in detail.

During the meeting, Nada Askar Al Naqbi shed light on the significant achievements of the past edition, and highlighted that the tournament’s commitment to the highest standards of inclusivity and participation led to the number of competition disciplines rise to nine in 2018, including one debut.

The 2018 edition of AWST was its biggest ever, hosting 68 teams from 16 countries, represented by more than 1,000 athletes and administrative personnel.

New recommendations and solutions for the forthcoming edition were also presented at this meeting, to overcome certain logistical and technical challenges that were faced in the last edition, which resulted from widening the scale and scope of the event.

Supreme Organising Committee members of AWST 2020 were announced by Nada Askar Al Naqbi. They are: Mariam Yousef Al Hosani, Deputy Head of the Executive Committee; Maitha bin Dawi, Manager of AWST; Khawla Waleed, Head of the Secretariat Committee; Ali Hassan Al Amiri, Head of the Technical Committee; Yousef Al Taweel, Head of the Media Committee; Nour Hashem, Head of the Marketing, Events and Technical Support Committee; Lamiya Al Suwaidi, Head of the Award Ceremony Committee; Ali Al Hammadi, Head of Internal Relations Committee; Tharia Jalal, Head of the Financial Committee; Mariam Al Hashimi, Head of the Performance and Development Committee; Naser Ashour, Head of Safety and Security Committee; and Reham Mahmoud, Head of the Logistics Committee.

During the meeting, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, said, "The tournament is considered a benchmark for women’s sport in the region today, which clearly reflects Sharjah’s and the UAE’s efforts to consolidate and advance the women's sports sector in the Arab world. AWST follows the vision of HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife, HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson, SWSF to offer Arab female athletes a world-class platform to come together to compete professionally and advance their international careers."

Nada Askar Al Naqbi added: "In its past four editions, AWST has certainly become a must-attend event in the Arab sporting calendar, which brings together world-class sportswomen and athletes to compete in a unique environment. We hope the 2020 edition of the tournament will break the previous edition’s participation record to ensure more value is added to the competitions it hosts. Building on the great success of the 4th edition, next year to allow for an even more vibrant gathering of talented Arab female athletes to represent the progress of women’s sports industry locally and around the Arab World."